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Beyond the Loss: Life and Identity After a Child Dies
Over time, the conversations we choose to have begin to reflect what matters most.
If you’ve been part of this podcast, you’ve heard me speak about human development, systems thinking, and the ways we make meaning of our lives and work. That work continues—and remains at the core of my coaching and professional practice.
What has changed is the space where I am choosing to have a different kind of conversation.
After the death of my son, Michael, I felt called to create a more personal place—one that speaks directly to the experience of loss, and to the questions that emerge when life no longer looks the way it once did.
That space is now Beyond the Loss.
This podcast is for parents who have lost a child, and for those who support them. It is not about fixing grief or finding closure, but about understanding how we continue to live, to make meaning, and to become—after loss.
If you are looking for my current podcast,
you will now find me there.
I invite you to join me on Beyond the Loss.
You are welcome.
Beyond the Loss: Life and Identity After a Child Dies
Episode 254: On Being a Force for Wholeness with Dr. Andrew Schmookler
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With the Northern Hemisphere experiencing one of its hottest summers to date and the invasion of Ukraine pressing on well into its second year, combating climate change and actively fighting tyranny feels more urgent than ever.
Joining us today to discuss the current state of human civilization and where we can expect to end up if we continue on our current trajectory is returning guest, Dr. Andrew Bard Schmookler, a prize-winning author, former Democratic candidate for Congress, social commentator, and a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University.
We talk with Dr. Schmookler about the current state of global democracy, the moral and spiritual dimensions of the human condition, and what it will take for human civilization to survive in the long term while maintaining a biosphere that is healthy and thriving. Be sure to join us for a deeply relevant conversation on democracy, morality, and how to play your part in these divisive and challenging times.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- Dr. Schmookler’s view of the evolution of human civilization and the forces that are shaping it.
- Coherent forces of wholeness and brokenness and how they are playing out in society.
- How we, as a secular culture, can learn to take moral and spiritual truths more seriously.
- The crossroads facing human civilization between wholeness and brokenness.
- Subjectivity and the nature of truth in relation to fascism, democracy, and climate change.
- How the dynamics of the free market economic system have repeatedly facilitated destructive behavior by powerful industries.
- The role of American democracy in the past, present, and future of human civilization.
- Tyranny in modern times and how democracy is being threatened by forces of brokenness.
- The urgent need to ensure the survival of American democracy.
- Advice on how to focus on what you can do as an individual in these challenging times.
- Dr. Schmookler’s parting message and why he believes there is reason to be hopeful.
Transcript: Here
Additional Resources:
Website: http://abetterhumanstory.org/
X: https://twitter.com/andyschmookler
Sharon Spano:
Website: sharonspano.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SharonSpanoPHD
Instagram: instagram.com/drsharonspano/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharonspano/
Book: thetimemoneybook.com
Contact: sharon@sharonspano.com
The Other Side of Potential Podcast: sharonspano.com/podcast/